Heart resuscitation apparatus with means for quickly adjusting to the size of the patient



1965 R. L. GUENTNER 3,

HEART RESUSCITATION APPARATUS WITH MEANS FOR QUICKLY ADJUSTING TO THESIZE OF THE PATIENT Filed March 19, 1963 Robert L. Guenmer BYE} YINVENTOR z AGENT United States Patent HEART RESUSCITATION APPARATUS WITHMEANS FOR QUICKLY ADJUSTING TO THE SIZE OF THE PATIENT Robert L.Guentner, Catonsville, Md., assignor to Westinghouse ElectricCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar.19, 1963, Ser. No. 266,375 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-53) The present inventionrelates to a heart resuscitator and more particularly to heartresuscitator units which employ a fluid pressure actuator operativelyconnected to a chestcompressing member for exertion of a rhythmicdownward force on the breastbone of a heart arrest victim to alternatelycompress and release the victims heart and thereby cause it to pumpblood.

In such heart resuscitation apparatuses which employ such apneumatically-driven chest-compressing member to apply pulses of forcesto the heart arrest victims chest, it is desirable, particularly whensuch apparatus is of the portable type, to limit the stroke of theactuator to less than that which would afford a chest-compressing membertravel great enough to accommodate all sizes of heart arrest victims, sothat an initial adjustment of the actuator becomes necessary upon setupof the resuscitator apparatus at its introduction to a heart-arrestvictim. Since a persons central nervous system suffers permanent damageupon cessation of blood circulation for more than three to four minutes,the time required for setup of the apparatus is critical.

In view of the foregoing remarks, it becomes a prime object of thepresent invention to provide, in such heart resuscitation apparatus, areciprocable fiuid-pressure-operated actuator and mounting constructionand arrangement which enables the aforementioned initial orientationadjustment of the actuator relative to the heart-arrest victim to bemade with a minimal amount of time and effort.

In keeping with the foregoing object, this is realized in theillustrative embodiment of the invention described herein by a mountingof the actuator in the housing or frame of the apparatus such that it isconstrained against radial movement but is normally free to be shoveddownwardly to automatically-upwardly-locked positions, together with asimple means for freeing the actuator for upward movement to a reposeposition for removal of the patient and return of the apparatus tostandby conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a three-dimensional view of a heart resuscitator apparatusembodying the invention; and

FIG. 2 is an elevation view in cross-section, illustrating schematicallydetails of the heart-compressing member, the actuator, and its mountingand locking arrangement in accord with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the heart resuscitator apparatus for externalclosed-chest heart compressing may be of the portable form exemplifiedin FIG. 1 which comprises: a C-shaped frame 1 having a bottom plate 2adapted to be slid under the back of the heart arrest victim while lyinghorizontally on his back; a hollow vertical column 3 extending upwardlyfrom the base 2; and a hollow arm 4 secured to the upper end of thecolumn 3 and extending horizontally therefrom above the bottom plate 2.In this form, the arm 4 carries the reciprocable actuator in form of aheart-compressing cylinder 5, the column 3 forms a pocket for storing abottle 6a of compressed gas for operating the cylinder 5, and a handle7a on column 3 facilitates carrying of the unit.

3,209,747 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 In accord with the present invention,referring particularly to FIG. 2, the hollow horizontally-extending arm4 of the frame 1 comprises top and bottom wall members 6 and 7 havingvertically-aligned openings 8 and 9 therein, respectively, through whichthe cylinder 5 extends and which, in slidable contact with the outersurface of the cylinder, act as a radial constraint holding the cylinderaligned in a vertical attitude coaxial with such openings, whilepermitting adjustable movement of the cylinder in the axialwisedirection, as initially downward for bringing a reciprocable member inform of a chest-compressing plunger head 11 into initial contact withthe chest of the heart arrest victim 12 in the site of the breastbonewhile a movable abutment in form of an operating piston 13 attached viaconnecting means 10 is in its uppermost position preparatory tooperation of the equipment, and subsequently upward for release of theheart-resuscitated patient following operation of the equipment. A knob14 attached to the upper end of the cylinder 5 facilitates manualorientation movement of such cylinder during such initial adjustment andfinal release.

To automatically lock the cylinder 5 against vertical movement whilepermitting it to be shoved. downward, a plate-like one-way self-lockingtab 17 is provided which has a square-edged opening 18 therein inencirclement of the cylinder. The tab 17 has a slidable pivotassociation with vertically spaced-apart stops 20 and 21 secured to thearm 4 and is biased upward by a compression spring 23 toward an upwardlocking position in which it is shown in the drawing with sharp edges ofopening 18 contacting the outer surface of the cylinder in a tiltedmanner which bites into such surface and tends to further tilt tab 17about stop 20 upwardly when effort is applied to move the cylinder 5upwardly, which is prevented by the radial constraint of the cylinder sothat its upward movement is thus normally locked, and which permitsdownward movement of the cylinder through such tab as same tends to bemoved about the stop 21 and in a direction against the bias of spring23, which presents clearance between opening 18 and the outer surface ofthe cylinder, thereby being self-unlocking for downward movement of thecylinder 5.

To permit raising of the cylinder 5 for such as release of the patientfollowing use of the equipment, the tab 17 is adapted to be depressedfor cocking about the lower stop 21 against the bias of spring 23 todisengage the edges of opening 18 in such tab from the cylinder 5. Suchadaptation takes the form of an extension of the tab through an opening30 in the outer wall of the arm 6 to render such tab readily availablefor such manual depression.

A flexible hose 32 conveys fluid under pressure to and from the pressurechamber 33 at the top of cylinder 5 for operating the piston 13.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been describedherein with a degree of particularity, it is not intended that theinvention necessarily be so limited, except as lies within the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic heart resuscitator unit, a frame, a reciprocablechest-compressing member constructed for engagement with the chest of aheart arrest victim to apply a rhythmic downward force on the breastbonefor causing pumping of the Victims heart, a reciprocable fluid pressureactuator including an elongated actuator housing and a movable abutmenttherein operatively connected to said chest-compressing member having astroke sufiicient for chest-deflection movement but less than thatrequired for initial orientation movement to suit various: sizes ofvictims, means secured to said frame for guiding constraint of saidactuator housing, spring-biased one way locking means carried by saidframe and constructed and arranged in cooperation with said actuatorhousing to permit rapid victim-direction-advancing movement of saidhousing within said guiding constraint while automatically locking saidhousing against movement in the reverse direction, thereby allowing thereciprocable chest-compressing member to be brought rapidly into initialcontact with the victims chest while assuring that the actuator housingwill be locked against reactionary movement during exertion of force bysuch member against the victims chest, and means for unlocking saidone-way locking means to permit retraction of said actuator housing to arepose position.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one-way lockingmeans comprises an elongated tab extending transversely of said actuatorhousing and having an opening therein fitting loosely therearound, pivotmeans secured to the aforesaid frame and receiving one end of said taband bias spring means urging said tab toward i a cooked attitude inwhich the edges of said opening lock with the surface of said actuatorhousing when it is urged in the one direction, but unlock to permitactuator housing movement in the opposite direction.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the means for unlockingsaid one-way locking means is in the form of an extension of said tab topermit pivotal movement thereof manually against the bias of saidspring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,062,299 12/36Erickson 128-52 X 2,483,395 10/49 Benson 287-58 FOREIGN PATENTS 673,5513/39 Germany.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A PNEUMATIC HEART REUSCITATOR UNIT, A FRAME, A RECIPROCABLE CHEST-COMPRISING MEMBER CONSTRUCTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CHEST OF A HEART ARREST VICTIM TO APPLY A RHYTHMIC DOWNWARD FORCE ON THE BREASTBONE FOR CAUSING PUMPING OF THE VICTIM''S HEART, A RECIPROCABLE FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATOR INCLUDING AN ELONGATED ACTUATOR HOUSING AND A MOVABLE ABUTMENT THERIEN OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CHEST-COMPRISING MEMBER HAVING A STROKE SUFFICIENT FOR CHEST-DEFLECTION MOVEMENT BUT LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED FOR INITIAL ORIENTATION MOVEMENT TO SUIT VARIOUS SIZES OF VICTIMS, MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME FOR GUIDING CONSTRAINT OF SAID ACTUATOR HOUSING, SPRING-BIASED ONE WAY LOCKING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED IN COOPERATION WITH SAID ACTUATOR HOUSING TO PERMIT RAPID VICTIN-DIRECTION-ADVANCING MOVEMENT OF SAID HOUSING WITHIN SAID GUIDING CONSTRAINT WHILE AUTOMATICALLY LOCKING SAID HOUSNG AGAINST MOVEMENT IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION, THEREBY ALLOWING THE RECEPROCABLE CHEST-COMPRESSING MEMBER TO BE BROUGHT RAPIDLY INTO INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE VICTIM''S CHEST WHILE ASSURING THAT THE ACTUATOR HOUSING WILL BE LOCKED AGAINST REACTIONARY MOVEMENT DURING EXERTION OF FORCE BY SUCH MEMBER AGAINST THE VICTIM''S CHEST, AND MEANS FOR UNLOCKING SAID ONE-WAY LOCKING MEANS TO PERMIT RETRACTION OF SAID ACTUATOR HOUSING TO A REPOSE POSITION. 